1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image-taking apparatus that generates shooting data in response to shooting operation and includes: an imaging device that has an imaging surface and generates image data by reading a subject image formed on the imaging surface; and an image-taking optical system that has an objective lens and a reflection member and forms an image on the imaging surface by reflecting subject light coming through the objective lens with the reflection member.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital camera is known as one of the image-taking apparatus. In recent years, attention has been focused on digital cameras that are small as well as slim and thus convenient to carry.
Generally, a digital camera is made smaller by reducing the sizes of components such as lenses in a shooting optical system, members for supporting such components and drivers used in the image-taking optical system. These components, members and drivers reduced in size are densely packed in a small body of the digital camera.
However, when it comes to a conventional digital camera having: a charge-coupled device (CCD) that is one type of the imaging device; and linearly arranged lenses that form an image of subject light coming through an objective lens on an imaging surface of the CCD, there is a problem that it is difficult to thin the camera body even if it can be made smaller. Such a problem has been solved by incorporating in the camera body a refractive optical system that is one of the shooting optical systems for forming an image on the imaging surface of the CCD, so that the camera body can be made slim. The refractive optical system includes a refractive member such as a prism that refracts light coming through the objective lens to change the direction of the light.
However, it is more difficult for a user to hold still such a slim type of digital camera provided with a refractive optical system (refractive type of digital camera), as compared to the digital camera provided with a shooting optical system having linearly arranged lenses (linear type of digital camera). Therefore, when the refractive type of digital camera is in use, camera shake is very likely to occur when a release button is pressed. Additionally, the linear type of digital camera is not free from camera shake either and therefore, it has been desired to provide a shake correction function in the camera body. Accordingly, digital cameras of the linear type are already provided with a shake correction function and available on the market. In contrast, even though the refractive type of digital camera is more susceptible to camera shake, a shake correction function for curing such susceptibility is not yet devised and thus desired.
As a means for correcting camera shake, the linear type of digital camera has a shake correction lens in the shooting optical system. In order to move the correction lens while keeping it parallel with the imaging surface of the CCD, there is proposed, for example, an electromagnetic actuator that moves the correction lens by using electromagnets disposed around the correction lens as a driver (see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-304868, page 24, FIG. 1, for example).
The electromagnetic actuator of the Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-304868 corrects camera shake by moving the correction lens with precision.
It is conceivable to realize a slim type of digital camera by using the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-304868. However, the digital camera employing a refractive optical system needs space in the thickness direction of the camera body to accommodate drivers for driving a zoom lens, a focus lens, a diaphragm, a shutter etc., in which the drivers are disposed around the lenses of the refractive optical system. Therefore, it is difficult to add a driver for shake correction without further increasing the thickness of the camera body.